Dr. Thomas J Herzog, MD

As a physician and surgeon myself, I have to say that I have read the bad reviews of Dr. Herzog with amusement. I do not care if he is warm and fuzzy. I do not want him to hold my hand. I want him to be the best surgeon possible and he is that. The best gyn/onc surgeon. After a positive biopsy, I was told that I had Stage IV colon cancer. I didn't believe it and actually prayed to have ovarian cancer simultaneously as anything was better that Stage IV colon. My prayers were answered and not only did I have Stage II colon cancer, Dr Herzog, through a laparoscopic biopsy (one inch incision) was able to do a bilateral oopharectomy, salpingectomy and nodal dissection down to the iliac artery!! For those of you ignorant of anatomy, that is an incredible feat. Because of his skill, I was properly stages as Colon II and Ovarian IIIc. Chemo threw me into Stage IV renal failure! Every step of the way, he made sure I had appropriate care and treatment. Was he some time abrupt, yes, but he… was not abrupt with me per se, he was abrupt and mad at the disease. He wanted to beat IT and do better to defeat IT! Post appropriate diagnosis and chemo therapy, I am still alive FIVE years later, yes five, and have been able to see my children graduate college. Did he hold my hand every single time he saw me, no, but I didn't care bout that. I knew he was fighting for me and that was all that was necessary. If you want handholding, go to the movies with a friend. If you want warm and fuzzy, go to you psychiatrist! If, however, you potentially want to be cured, then go to an incredible good surgeon. Go to Dr Herzog! Now! Do it! At all cost! He wasn't in my plan and I paid through the nose, but I'm still alive to moan about it. Again, go instantly, that is, if you want to survive.

While I was able to find and see Dr. Herzog quickly, I was not surprised to find him conservative in his approach or diagnosis until surgery was completed and I had a confirmed staging. Having dealt with cancer in other family members, I know that this is a frightening and emotional time for the patient and family. However to expect to get a doctor that was "Warm and fuzzy" but less skilled as specialist in his area would be the last thing I would want. Dr. Herzog does hold back but it is in the patient's best interest as the last thing he wants is to give you any false hopes. Would I recommend him....? You bet! Patience is a necessary trait to have. When there is a diagnosis, Dr. Herzog will spend as much time as needed with you. His office personnel is far and above many office staff that I have dealt with. Blame only yourself if you are impatient and need a lot of hand holding. That is the job of family and friends and not the doctor. I am just starting my journey with Dr.… Herzog but I know that I will receive the best of care and treatment with him and I trust him 100%....Of course, if I have questions I will not make a decisions until the good doctor answers them all and he will!

Gruff, rude, terrible bedside manner, insensitive while dealing with a sensitive part of the human anatomy!

Dr Herzog performed my surgery last week. I cannot praise him enough. My recovery has been speedy and successful, and it's clear that his skill is to thank. I've seen these reviews that complain that he is cold...well imagine that, a surgeon that is all-business. Look, I agree that an oncologist is dealing with patients that are going through especially hard times, and the prognoses are likely to be particularly grim. But I'd rather have a great surgeon than a likeable one with substandard ability. The warm support will just have to come from a different source, although I also have to say I didn't personally find him cold. He was brusque but I actually appreciated his candor. I didn't want sugar coating, I wanted the cold hard truth. Dr. Herzog deserves more credit than he's getting on this website.

Appalling bedside manner. Immediately post (unsuccessful) surgery, informed us that we'd need a different specialist, mentioned a name, and when asked for contact info, he told us - I kid you not - "Google him." Was evasive when delivering uncomfortable news (incurable cancer in very young woman). News was terrible regardless, but some honesty, directness, and compassion would have been nice. After sharing (sort-of) said news with us, we were discharged directly into to his bustling office, rather than offered some time or privacy to process. If he is your gyn/onc, you are truly on your own - he makes no attempt to help mitigate patients' physical or emotional suffering. I am a healthcare provider myself, and I thought his behavior was shameful.

Made us feel comfortable and explained everything well

Despite his good reputation among his colleagues, (who I suspect have never seen him as patients & if they have he likely would have treated them as VIPs),in my opinion he leaves a lot to be desired as a doctor for people who need human compassion,(and not just when he's having a good day). He was at times mean, abrupt, unavailable, and didn't listen - so things fell through the cracks and were delayed or missed and/or ignored, which when you have a life threatening disease is not something you want to have happen.

Did not appear for a scheduled visit, office staff did not know where he was, was told later of "repeated attempts to contact" but there were no messages or missed calls on either phone, and they did have the correct numbers. Left after waiting an hour with no visit.

Just because a doctor is at a big teaching hospital and other doctors rate him highly, doesn't mean he is a good doctor. In my opinion, if you want to have your cancer treated by a doctor where you are treated well and where your illness is followed adequately, and where things don't fall through the cracks and where your symptoms are not ignored,(which is crucial), then I would go somewhere else. He did not seem to listen or care. His demeaning bedside manner was unprofessional and resulted in worse care. There are other doctors who are knowledgeable who won't treat you this way.

I just saw Dr. Herzog today for the second time. I don't know the results of my tests yet, but he was comforting enough for me and said his office will follow up next week. I think often times we want a doctor to act a certain way or say certain things, but I can never imagine being in his shoes, having to tell countless families that their loved ones have a terminal illness. He's smart and I'm sure he's saved many lives, so I just wanted to write this review to be fair to him. He's the director of a major hospital in NY because he is good at what he does, not because he's "warm and fuzzy" Most surgeons I know have the same personality, but I really would not call Dr. Herzog the coldest I've ever met. Just my two cents, based on my personal experience. His nurses are kind and professional as well.